Tim Curry was born on April 1946, in Grappenhall, Cheshire. When he was twelve years old, his father had a stroke and then died weeks later from complications from pneumonia. Tim Curry went to school at Kingswood School in Bath, Somerset and later graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1968 with a degree in English and drama.
It was not long after graduating from the University of Birmingham that Tim Curry began his professional acting career with a 1968 production of Hair on London's West End. It was while he was appearing in Hair that he met Richard O'Brien, who later go onto write The Rocky Horror Show. In the late Sixties and early Seventies Tim Curry appeared in several stage productions on the West End elsewhere, including Titus Andronicus, The White Devil, Life of Galileo, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was in 1973 that Tim Curry originated the role of Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court Theatre.Tim Curry made his Broadway debut in The Rocky Horror Show in 1975. The Rocky Horror Show was adapted to film as The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975 and marked Tim Curry's movie debut. The film became a cult phenomenon and launched Tim Curry's film career.
Tim Curry made his television debut in 1969 in an episode of Television Theatre From... In 1970, he guest starred on episodes of Ace of Wandsand ITV Saturday Night Theatre. In the Seventies, he appeared in the mini-series Napoleon and Love and Will Shakespeare. He guest starred on the shows Stage 2, Armchair Theatre, Play for Today, Rock Follies of '77, and The Sunday Drama. After making his film debut in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), he appeared in the movies The Shout (1978) and Times Square (1980). On both the West End and Broadway, he appeared on stage in Travesties and Amadeus.
In the Eighties, Tim Curry appeared in the movies Annie (1982), The Ploughman's Lunch (1983), Legend (1985), Clue (1985), Pass the Ammo (1987), and The Hunt for Red October (1990). He guest starred on the shows Arena, Long Ago and Far Away, The Tracy Ullman Show, and Wiseguy. He appeared in such TV movies as Blue Money and The Worst Witch. He played Pennywise in the mini-series It. He was a guest voice on the animated series The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible. He appeared on Broadway in Amadeus and in London in The Pirates of Penzance, The Rivals, The Threepenny Opera, and Dalliance.
In the Nineties, Tim Curry starred on the sitcom Over the Top. He had a recurring role on the sitcom Rude Awakening. He provided the voice of Mr. Curry on the animated series Paddington Bear, Captain Hook in the animated series Peter Pan and the Pirates, Sharkster on Fish Police, additional voices on The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda, Sir Gawain on The Legend of Prince Valiant, Barney Finkleberg on Wild West C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa, Skullmaster on Mighty Max, King Acorn on Sonic the Hedgehog, Kilokah on Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, MAL on Captain Planet and the Planeteers,and Dr. Sevarius on Gargoyles. He was also a guest voice on several more animated shows. He guest starred on the shows Roseanne, Tales from the Crypt, Dinosaurs, Earth 2, The Naked Truth, Lexx, and Bette. He played Gomez Addams in the TV movie Addams Family Reunion. He appeared in the movies Oscar (1991), The Player (1992), Passed Away (1992), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), The Three Musketeers (1993), The Shadow (1994), Congo (1995), Lover's Knot (1995), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), McHale's Navy (1997), Sorted (2000), and Charlie's Angels (2000). He appeared on Broadway in My Favorite Year.
From 1998 to 2004, Tim Curry was the voice of Nigel Thornberry on the animated show The Wild Thornberrys. He was a guest voice on many more animated shows. He starred on the short-lived reboot of the sitcom Family Affair. He guest starred on the shows Monk, Will & Grace, Psych, Poirot, Cranford, and Criminal Minds. He appeared in the movies Scary Movie 2 (2001), The Scoundrel's Wife (2002), Kinsey (2004), Bailey's Billion$ (2005), Christmas in Wonderland (2007), The Secret of Moonacre (2008), and Burke & Hare (2010). He appeared on Broadway in Spamalot.
In the Teens, Tim Curry was the voice of G. Gordon Godfrey on the animated series Young Justice, the voice of the Sorcerer on Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, and Palpatine on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was a guest voice on many other animated shows.
News of Tim Curry's death felt like a punch to the gut for me. To me, he wasn't only one of the greatest character actors of the late 20th Century, but one of the greatest character actors of all time. What is more, he appears to have been a true gentleman. Not only have his co-stars spoke of his kindness, generosity, and sense of humour, but so too have ordinary people who had the opportunity to meet him. Tim Curry may have played many villains throughout this career, but in real life, he was one of the good guys.
He was certainly talented. Indeed, he was phenomenally so. He had the ability to disappear completely into his characters. If Frank-N-Furter and The Rocky Horror Picture Show remain iconic, it is largely because of Tim Curry's performance in the role. Tim Curry is probably much of the reason the movie Clue has become a cult classic as well. He shined as the fast-talking butler Wadsworth. Tim Curry played his share of villains during his career, both humorous and otherwise. He was great as the treacherous, egocentric Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island. He was fearsome as the demonic Darkness in Legend. He inspired fear as Pennywise in the mini-series It, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. Tim Curry played so many great roles during his long career, including Dr Petrov in The Hunt for Red October, Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers, The Grand Wizard in the TV movie The Worst Witch, and so much more. Tim Curry was a chameleon, able to transform himself into any role he played. Few actors ever had the talent that Tim Curry had, and for that talent he will be remembered.
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